Why user experience wins when flying United…

I have a few new observations now that I have been reunited with my American ways:

1. Traveling within America is much easier/more convenient/better than within Europe.  Sorry, friends.

2. Traveling on United kicks major ass because they’re the only airline who really get mobile.

I had a long work week in Seattle ahead of me.  I was tired and my alarm went off at 4am.  As the cab pulled up to bring me to SFO I realized, ‘My boarding pass!  I haven’t checked in!  I’m almost, well definitely, am running super super late.’

Not to fear United said!  Check-in on your phone via the mobile optimized email we sent you while you’re en route.  Then, don’t worry about user barriers like downloading a clunky native app or getting a frequent flier number to log-in (cough cough: British Airways) , we know you’re in a hurry, Cait.  Even better?  We’ll email you a mobile optimized version of your boarding pass that will quickly load in your mobile web browser before you can say ‘cheese doodle’ for you to show off to security as soon as your taxi driver shoves you out of his car and you run for your gate that’s already boarding.

What did I say back?  MUCHOS GRACIAS UNITED, you just saved my ass (and my job).

Cait’s Take:

There’s nothing worse than having a service not work in the moment, once you’ve already gone through the trouble of researching, booking and paying for it. United is one of the only airlines I’ve encountered that truly get what a great customer experience on any mobile device should be like.  Heck, I could’ve checked in on a Blackberry if I wanted to!  Don’t worry, I didn’t want to.

I get it, apps are shiny and fun.  They even have some true engagement potential. But when I want to complete a quick task and feel great about your brand once it’s over, this type of user experience definitely wins.  I truly wish more services out there would stop trying to complicate their mobile strategies and start stripping it to the basics of how to please the majority of their customers.

My only tip to those savvy folks at United: start trying to upsell me to your mobile app!  If it’s as good as your mobile web strategy, I may actually download it.

Tags: airlines, marketing, mobile, mobile apps, united airlines, user experience

Sillicon Valley submerged..

Some of you may have noticed my horrifying and embarrassing lack of blogging/complaining lately about mobile and social marketing initiatives in the UK.

Whilst I heavily apologize for being so busy lately, I have some news to share! (drum roll please…)

I, Caitlin Tierney Roberts, officially am a San Franciscan!

Don’t worry, this means I’ve edited and updated my Facebook, Foursquare, Linkedin, Twitter and WordPress locations. More importantly it also means I’ll be writing more and more about cool and crappy things I notice and see from the US of A when it comes to anything and everything digital.

I am bursting with things to share and campaigns to rip apart..

Watch this space!

Why I am an ASOS addict…

I, Caitlin Tierney Roberts, am indeed an ASOS addict. I do find comfort knowing that there are, there must be, a large number of loyal ladies out there who are just like me (in fact, I even have a best friend who joins me in this addiction as living proof!). When they send their email marketing with headlines like: “FREE SHIPPING, today ONLY!” or “20% off Summer Frocks”, I 100% can never resist.

So, besides adoring ASOS for their free shipping, great brands and decently priced collections, I also adore them for their marketing strategy and more specifically, their mobile one. When I got one of their cunning emails again this week, what caught my attention most?

Cait’s Take: You’re making it EVEN easier for me, your loyal mobile savvy customer, to purchase your glorious fashion on the go? Smooth mobile web PayPal integration?  AH, you shouldn’t have!

It’s almost like ASOS read my mind. I used to not quite enjoy the ordering process on my mobile with their site, when having to pull out credit cards, type in funny security digits and go through the verify visa process (which delivers a horrid mweb experience by the way). I imagine, like ANY ROI driven business should be, the lovely marketing team at ASOS noticed that they had quite the drop off rate from consumer browsing behavior to final purchase on mobile and decided to find a solution.  I would also imagine we’re going to see a lot of smart retailers following suit.

As if I needed more convincing: ASOS mobile web and m-commerce strategy kicks major ass.  KUDOS!

Tags: asos, cait_tierney, m commerce, marketing, mobile, pay pal, retail

How Intel got my interest…

Ironically enough, just a week after I slated Intel for their poorly executed Facebook Connect and non-safari accommodating Facebook app, they have managed to prove me wrong!  Their recent above the line billboard on the Richmond line caught my attention quickly whilst waiting for my train home one night.

Cait’s Take: QR codes, finally.  These bad boys have been booming in the states in above the line, as means of engaging consumers on the go with mobile and digital branded experiences.  SO, it’s about time they started gaining momentum here with brands looking to engage some of their consumers, early adopting ones who like technology, especially.

And what more?  Their ‘creatives’ managed to tie in and embrace these funny looking barcodes into their creative concept!  Don’t get me wrong, I love ad agencies, but what I don’t love is their historical commitment to keeping out any form of ‘unaligned’ media into their concept and plans.

Even better?  The QR code drove me straight to Intel’s Facebook page where I was immediately prompted to ‘like’ them on Facebook in my handy mobile web browser.  Heck, why wouldn’t I?  The tying together of mobile and social is what makes this campaign tick the boxes for me.

Yea yea, I get the campaign isn’t anything exciting.  But, imagine if a high affinity brand with a strong following managed to tie QR, mobile, social and creative like this in their next campaign?  The possibilities are endless.

For once, a somewhat boring brand has pulled something of that’s smooth, simple, straight forward and doesn’t suck.  For that, I send Intel a virtual high-five.  Nicely done, folks!

Tags: billboards, cait_tierney, facebook, intel, marketing, mobile social, QR codes

How Intel lost my interest…

I’ve recently noticed some of my social savy friends letting Intel post to their Facebook wall.  Now, let’s be clear – the majority don’t normally give any brand permission and access to their wall, so this sparked my interest immediately.  It was all about Intel’s new ‘The Museum of Me’ app.

What did they make me do first?  Open a new tab.  What I thought was a nicely done embedded Facebook app to keep me within my current experience, ended up being a seperate landing page.  Aggravating enough.  Also, would this have worked on my mobile?  Nope.

Next? Facebook Connect to proceed.  Although I was happy to see a brand finally using Connect to gain some valuable information about their social media followers, what I wasn’t happy to see was that they wanted access to me, my wall, my friends, all my profile information and my contact details.  Did you want the kitchen sink, too?  Intel, you didn’t even tell me what I’d be getting from this app.. why would I give you access to my life when I don’t even know what ‘The Museum of Me’ is yet! Ugh.

Finally?  CRASH.  Safari didn’t support their flash app and crashed as soon as I gave them permission to my life via Facebook. I tried again and got a ‘gathering data’ page that kept ‘gathering data’ all 60 minutes of the Apprentice.  After this, I gave up and assumed that Intel had probably gathered all of MY data they needed, after giving me nothing in return.

Cait’s Take: If you’re going to do a social media app, do it right.  User test it on every browser, especially ones that a large chunk of the globe use on a daily basis.

Oh yeah, you also may want to think about making it accessible on mobile phones, because if I clicked through on my friend’s wall post about this ‘amazing new app’ via my mobile, I would have indeed seen a bunch of useless error codes.

Finally, rule numero uno – if you want access to me and my data, tell me what you’ll be giving me for it in return and what exactly you plan on using my data for.  User incentive and explicitness is necessary in today’s social and digital driven world.

Dear Intel, you really managed to fudge up what is actually a pretty decent social marketing idea!  You’ve clearly failed from creative to execution, as many brands do. Better luck next time. Also, let me know what you plan on doing with my data (hopefully before I start receiving email spam that I’m sure you’ll tell me I ‘opted’ into at some point)…

Tags: app, cait_tierney, facebook, intel, marketing, museum of me, social media

Well done Waga!

I met up with a good friend for a quick, cheap and yummy pre-theatre bite at Wagamama the other evening.  What was the first and only thing I noticed and proceeded to talk about for the next 10 minutes (okay maybe 20)?

Cait’s Take: Cue my AH HA moment!  There are brands out there who finally understand and are INVESTING in making sure their site works on any and every one of their potential consumer’s mobile devices?  Well done Waga, well done.

My only rant-worthy reply: Nokia app… erm, really?  I have a feeling they invested in development time far before the Nokia-soft development.  Which, in my mind once again proved to the marketing world why investing just in apps for your brand, without a strong mobile web strategy first, is for silly silly businessmen who don’t want to sell more or care about ROI.

What’s the first thing I’m going to do when I’m out and about or on my sofa and want to head to a Wagamama with my friend? Type it into my mobile web browser, of course!  NOT search the app store on my device, go through the authentication process to download, wait 3 minutes to install (don’t you even think about inserting a payment here, folks).  No consumer wants barriers to explore a menu or opening times.  In case you didn’t notice, we don’t wait for anything anymore, we want it instantly.

It’s a common sense game – with mobile search growing by 3000% in the past three years, why wouldn’t your brand or restaurant be finding ways to optimise for mobile search and discovery?  If you’re not, you’re losing business.. and I would be my life on it (or at least my next order of noodles).

Tags: apps, cait_tierney, mobile, social, wagamama

My Delta disappointment

On my constant quest to fly cheaply back and forth from the east coast of the US of A to London, I have flown plenty of airlines. In fact, probably all of them. Earlier this month, I’ll be the first to admit that I wasn’t that psyched to be flying Delta transcontinental for the third or fourth time.  In my mind, it’s no Virgin and it doesn’t have free ice cream on board.  As I walked my sorry self to the terminal at JFK, I was in fact down trodden.  Ugh, ‘Delta’, I sighed.  To my surprise and delight, something quickly perked me up.  What as that you may ask?

Walking into a gorgeous looking terminal, converted into a modern lounge well equipt with… Dozens upon dozens of shiny brand spankin’ NEW iPads!

What did I do in response? Run to the nearest shiny station and start playing away, duh.  ’WOW’, I thought.  Delta really has stepped up their game.  So my travel companion and I started playing, exploring, zooming about on the touch screens we were already far too familiar with, yet adored.

Then, unfortunately, I started to get angry.  I started to ‘rant’ and moan. Yes, out loud.  Why the f*ck did Delta decide to install a RECIPE builder app in an airport lounge?! Am I going to whip up a chicken katsu curry with rice during my flight? Am I in the mood to write down some new recipes before I go eat your dog food in economy class?  I calmed down and thought I was being too rough on them. Heck, Delta was trying to be innovative.

Between the Weather Channel and some tic-tac-toe, I survived.  But, what made me most angry?

BLOCKED?  Facebook?  Gmail? Myspace (kidding, I didn’t try, don’t worry)? Apple.com even? Any form of web browsing that wasn’t delta.com?  They wouldn’t even let me email myself that cunning chicken katsu curry recipe I whipped up, on their stupid endorsed app!  Dissapointment settled in.

Cait’s Take: Dear Delta, I commend you for getting ahead of technology and using iPads to try and please your customers.  I don’t commend you for not taking the time to think about HOW to use those shiny devices to make them happy.  It’s called market and customer research. Use it, learn from it and move forward.

In the meantime, at least let me do something other than build bad curry recipes, buy more flights or play a rudimentary game that is 100% already available and pre-installed on every function phone in the world by now.  In my opinion, you’ve wasted a crap load of money.

PS:  You also may want to find out how many people are mainly using their tablet devices to stay in touch via social media (erm.. about 60% of them), not just make recipes.

Tags: airlines, cait_tierney, delta, facebook, ipad, marketing, mobile, social